Community Zine

On their second day Ingrid insists they visit a familiar town, the very same they helped rid
of bandits together with Rodrigue what feels like a lifetime ago, even if in reality it has only
been seven years. The major welcomes them with open arms, ushering them through the
small city’s newly repaired highlights with uneasy pride.
By chance, they stop at an-almost repaired church to pay their respects to the fallen ones. It’s
an absolutely beautiful old church, tastefully decorated with stained glass windows depicting
a wonderful rendition of Saint Cethleann herself. But it is not the building that makes him
stop in his tracks.
Dimitri had wondered privately if he would recognize Felix if he saw him in the crowd. It
turns out that the answer was a resounding yes, because there he is, hair long and wild, covered
in sweat and dirt from head to toe, repairing the roof of church with his own two hands.
His eyes are inexplicably drawn to the man that was once his best friend, on elegant fingers
bruised from labor, the dirty strands of hair falling into his hair as he worked.
Felix looks breathtaking Dimitri realizes all at once, and he has no idea what to do with that
revelation. He doesn’t get time to process it either, because Sylvain spots Felix mere seconds
after Dimitri.
“Hey, Felix! There you are! We’ve been looking for you all over the place!” He yells loudly and
starts running towards him.
Felix looks up, startled, and then schools his expression back into a withering look directed
straight at Sylvain. He still lets their old friend pull him down and hug him, so Dimitri
knows it’s a facade. While Felix half-heartedly threatens to maim Sylvain like nothing has
changed at all, Dimitri watches them silently, his heart beating fiercely. He had missed Felix,
but he hadn’t quite realized how empty that space he left behind felt now that he fills it again.
Hadn’t anticipated how the mere sight of him would fill him with warmth and dread alike,
and he detests it almost as much as he craves more of it.
Dimitri forces himself to meet Felix’s eyes even if the gesture isn’t returned when the man
appears right in front of him, not long after Ingrid and Dedue have caught up.
“What are you all doing here?” Felix demands, wiping the sweat from his brow in a very distracting
manner.
“Felix!” Ingrid scolds him with unshed tears in her eyes. “Can you at least show an inkling of
manners? We wrote to you we were coming. Several times, as a matter of fact!”
Felix averts his eyes from hers and Dimitri imagines that it is probably the exertion that
paints his cheeks pink rather than embarrassment. “I’ve been busy,” he grits out.
“I can see that,” Dimitri interjects before Ingrid is able to spit out a retort. “It’s almost as if
war has never touched this place. You’ve done well, Felix.”
“It truly does look wonderful,” Dedue agrees earnestly, and even Felix has a hard time blowing
off a compliment with such sincerity.
“Well… we’ve been busy,” Felix replies after a long silence.
“Why don’t you show us around for a bit?” Sylvain asks before Felix has time to ruin the
touching moment by saying something hurtful.
“Ugh, do I have to?”
Ingrid raises a single brow. “Yes, you have to.”